Kage
by HiroLemonFan
Summary: "When I went in, it was pretty bright. It hurt. I don't like thinking about it." Inspired by the AskAntiHiro blog on Tumblr.


This is the story of how a princess softened a vigilante's heart. Don't worry. It's a happy story.

It all started with a modern princess. Her name was Aiko Miyazaki, and she had beautiful long blonde hair. She looked like a normal girl, but she had a secret: she was biologically related to Rapunzel, the long-deceased princess of Corona. Meaning that whenever she sang a special song, her hair would glow and produce special healing magic. Everyone in San Fransokyo who knew her also knew about those powers.

Of course, things were going great for her. She had nice friends who admire her for her kindness and sweet personality, not because of her magical healing hair. There was Leiko Tanaka, a Captain America fangirl who was creating her version of the Cap Cycle, Wasabi, an adamantium researcher who was obsessed with perfection, Fred, a comic and science fanboy with a soft spot for monstrous creatures, and Tadashi Hamada, Leiko's perfect boyfriend.

But everything changed when Tadashi introduced the group to his younger brother Hiro. In Aiko's opinion, Hiro was very cute. Probably the cutest little fourteen-year-old she ever saw. Things were fine over the summer, but when it was time for the end-of-the-summer showcase at SFIT, something very tragic happened.

When Hiro was up, he demonstrated his microbots. But during the presentation, the microbots accidentally knocked over some Bunsen burners and spilled inflammable chemicals, resulting in a huge fire. Aiko couldn't remember much, but she knew all three Hamadas had died, as well as Professor Callaghan. Thankfully, she, Leiko, Wasabi, and Fred made it out alive.

Weeks had passed since then. For some reason, San Fransokyo had been feeling safer. Regardless of why, Aiko thought it still felt weird, especially since Tadashi had died. She had to comfort poor Leiko for days!

On one particular evening, Aiko was walking home from SFIT when she was dragged into an alleyway and held up by a scar-faced man with a knife. "Alright princess," he said. "Give me some of that healing power."

"Never!" Aiko cried out.

"Very well," the scar-faced man said. He was about to slice off a lock of her hair when...

"Leave her alone!"

That voice came from a young boy. From what Aiko saw, he was skinny with thick, messy black hair. He wore a sleeveless black and dark grey outfit with beige sandals and white bandages covered his hands, arms, legs, and feet. But she couldn't see his face, for it was covered by a white and red kabuki mask.

The scar-faced man dropped his knife in surprise. "You!" he said between gritted teeth.

"Yeah it's me," the masked boy said, summoning a group of tiny black objects, which took on the shape of a large knife. "Now drop the girl and no one gets hurt."

Panicked, the scar-faced man let go of Aiko and ran off. The masked boy helped her get off the ground.

"Thanks," Aiko said. "But...who are you?"

"Call me Kage," the masked boy said, disbanding the tiny black objects.

Aiko curtsied. "I am the one and only Princess Aiko Miyazaki of San Fransokyo," she said.

"I know," Kage said. "I've heard about you. Now I better get going." But before he could leave, Aiko put her hand on his shoulder.

"Wait," Aiko said. "Have we met before?"

Kage was silent for a few seconds, then he spoke. "No." With that, he disappeared into the night.

* * *

><p>The next day at SFIT, Aiko couldn't stop thinking about Kage. He felt so familiar, but why? At the group hangout in the tech's lab, Aiko told her friends about the masked boy.<p>

"Hang on," Leiko said. "Did you say he had messy black hair?"

"Yeah..." Aiko answered.

"Duh!" Fred exclaimed. He pulled out a newspaper article from weeks ago. "The masked boy who calls himself Kage is none other than Hiro Hamada!"

Aiko looked at the article. The heading read 'SFIT Fire Kills Four'. The cover image showed the four who had died, which included Hiro. "Think about it," Fred continued. "When the fire broke out, Hiro didn't die. His face was burned, making him look hideously disfigured. And because his remaining family perished, he wears a mask and goes by an alter ego to protect the streets of San Fransokyo in secret to make sure the good people continue to live."

"That sounds too much like a combination of Batman and Phantom of the Opera," Wasabi pointed out.

"Does anyone else have a better theory?" Fred asked. He smirked when no one responded. "I thought so."

"But even if it is Hiro, what should I do?" Aiko asked.

"The best option is to rehabilitate him," Fred answered. "If you fail to do that, kill him. Either way, it's one less vigilante."

Everyone looked at Fred. "What?" he asked. "I don't like vigilantes."

* * *

><p>Three days passed since then. Aiko spent every night trying to find Kage. She sacrificed nights of sleep, but she believed she was worth it. She even purchased some Axe supplies, just in case Fred's rehabilitation plan was to work.<p>

On the third night, Aiko spotted a tuff of black hair in an alleyway. She ran over to it, spotting a pair of glowing white eyes. "Kage?" she asked.

Sure enough, the boy wearing a kabuki mask stepped out of the shadows with tiny black objects surrounding him. "Hello Princess Aiko," he said. If that really was Hiro, then the mask contained a voice modifier. "Fancy seeing you here."

Aiko took a deep breath. "I know who you are," she stated.

"You do?" Kage asked.

"Yes," Aiko answered. "You can take off the mask, Hiro Hamada."

Kage froze. "Hiro Hamada is dead," he said.

"You're not fooling me," Aiko insisted. "Now tell me where you've been the past few weeks."

Kage didn't respond. "Please?" Aiko asked.

"Fine," Kage said. "I'll show you."

* * *

><p>And so, with Aiko by his side, Kage used tiny black objects to surf across the ocean and over to a quarantined island. There, they were greeted by a man dressed in black wearing an identical kabuki mask. "Aiko, this is Yokai," Kage said. "He's my mentor."<p>

"Hi..." Aiko said with a nervous wave.

Yokai didn't say anything. "He doesn't talk much," Kage explained. "It's to keep his identity a secret."

Aiko slightly nodded, looking around. They were inside an abandoned lab and there were newspaper clippings tapped to the walls. One particular article caught her attention.

**SFIT Fire Kills Four**

Aiko looked at the article. "You were at the tech that day," she told Kage. "I remember what happened."

"No..." Kage said. "No, that wasn't me."

Aiko looked back at Kage. "You were one of the people who died," Aiko insisted. "But you didn't die. You survived and transformed yourself into something you're not!"

"I am, and have always been, Kage!" the masked boy insisted.

"No you're not," Aiko said. "I know who you are and what your true name is! You are Hiro Hamada, brother of Tadashi Hamada and nephew of Cass Hamada."

"Those people no longer exist!" Kage exclaimed.

"No... They burned," Aiko said. "They're gone now. You thought you killed them."

"Hiro did kill them..." Kage said. "It was his doing..."

"No," Aiko pleaded. "You didn't kill them. The fire was an accident. No one could have predicted it. It wasn't your fault."

"Tell that to my face!" Kage exclaimed. He ripped off the mask and tossed it aside, revealing himself as none other than Hiro Hamada.

Aiko let out a small gasp. Hiro's face was covered in burnt scars as if they were maroon face paint. He looked horrifying, yet that cute appeal was still there. She put her hand on his left cheek and looked at him straight in the eye.

"It wasn't your fault," the blonde princess repeated. "I know you would never hurt anybody, Hiro. Not me, not anyone. I know this because..." She took a deep breath. "I love you."

Hiro hugged Aiko tightly, breathing heavily. "The microbots... I tried to demonstrate my microbots," he explained. "I didn't know how they worked. This was my first real test. I tried to focus on something, anything! But then I saw you in the crowd...and they reacted immediately. I couldn't control them. They destroyed everything. Bunsen burners were knocked over, inflammable materials were spilt... It was like a chain reaction. Everything burned... My microbots barely protected me, but not my family. They disappeared. That was when I met Yokai. He took me under his wing. He told me why I was chosen to survive. The microbots were powered by true love, and we needed to protect the things we love. For him, his daughter. For me...you. That's why I found you again. That's why I've been protecting you. I saw you as my redemption. I knew you would be the angel to absolve this demon. Because I love you, Honey Lemon. I always have and I swear to you, I always will."

"Hiro... You're not a demon," Aiko reassured. "You never were. You are my knight in shining armor. My guardian angel and my protector. I will be with you as long as you need me."

Hiro looked back at Aiko. Despite the burns, his hazel eyes were gorgeous with thick eyelashes framing each orb. "You don't have to live like this," the blonde princess said. "I can take you home, clean you up, and give you a fresh start. What do you say?"

Hiro looked back at Yokai, who nodded in approval. That was all that Hiro needed. "Alright," he told Aiko. "I'm ready."

* * *

><p>And so, Aiko brought Hiro back to her home and over to her room, where she set up some special equipment. "Before I introduce you back to civilization, you're going to need a makeover," Aiko instructed. "Now keep your arms up for a few seconds."<p>

Aiko scanned Hiro using a pink scanner decorated in yellow flower stickers. With the measurements recorded, she typed in the numbers on an advanced sewing machine. "You're making a new outfit for me?" Hiro asked.

"Sort of," Aiko said. "I'll try to recreate your original look. And while I'm doing that, head over to the bathroom to freshen up."

While Hiro went to the bathroom, Aiko started working on the outfit templates. She decided on a green t-shirt, a dark blue hoodie, and light tan shorts. And as she went to work on hand-painting an old pair of sneakers black, she thought about the last Hamada.

Hiro was making Aiko feel...odd. She wasn't sure if it was his current bad boy image or his mysterious demeanor. Regardless of why, this new Hiro appealed to her danger fetish. She was turned-on by dangerous things, and Hiro clearly had a danger vibe going on.

Eventually Aiko had finished the outfit, so she picked up the pieces of clothing, approached the bathroom, and knocked on the door. "Hiro?" she asked. "Are you done in there?"

Hiro responded by slightly opening the door, grabbing the clothes and shoes, and closing the door. A few minutes later, he finally left the bathroom. "Not bad," the last Hamada said. "But you're missing a hoodie."

"We can worry about finding a new hoodie later," Aiko said. "For now, it's time to reintroduce you to the world!"

* * *

><p>Back in Aiko's room, she started setting up a computer. "How is this reintroducing me to the world?" Hiro asked.<p>

"You're going to be a guest star on my webcast series," Aiko explained, turning on a webcam. "I have a ton of followers, including the gang from SFIT. They'll watch the web-episode and if it's popular enough, it will get a ton of likes and everyone in the city will know that you're still alive!"

"You think a web series will fix this?" Hiro asked. It sounded like he didn't think it would work.

"Yes," Aiko answered bluntly. Then she began recording the web-episode. "Omigosh! Hiee! For those of you who are new to my blog, I am Princess Aiko Miyazaki of San Fransokyo. Now, I have a special guest with me today. He was initially believed to have died weeks ago, but he's very much alive. Please give a warm welcome to San Fransokyo's Hiro Hamada!" She stepped aside and let Hiro take control.

The next few minutes were rather heartbreaking for Aiko. Hiro told his tale to her audience, recalling how the microbots saved him after his face was burnt by the rapidly growing flames. He mentioned how Yokai took him under his wing and trained him to use the microbots to fight crime. He had to wipe back tears towards the end, but he truly meant every word. When he was finished, Aiko signed off the web-episode and turned off her webcam.

"Well?" Hiro asked. "Was it good?"

Aiko responded by hugging Hiro tightly. "You were amazing," she said, knowing this was only the first step to recovery.

* * *

><p><strong>Four Years Later...<strong>

Aiko looked at her reflection in the mirror. She wore a beautiful white dress, silver high heels, and her hair was tied in a bun. She had something old (the dress, which Rapunzel wore on her wedding day), something new (her silver-framed accessory glasses), something borrowed (Leiko's pearl necklace), and something blue (her eyeshadow). She looked just like a princess.

The music started and that was her cue. Her father would have walked her down the aisle if he wasn't busy doing his job as the mayor of San Fransokyo, but that was okay. She respected that. She didn't mind walking alone.

As she walked, Aiko saw her friends in their seats. They were happy for her. After all, she was the first one in the group to get married.

But the biggest surprise came from Hiro, who was waiting for her. When she reached him, Aiko was blown away by his appearance. He wore a light grey suit and he looked somewhat like Tadashi, although his eyes were larger and his facial features were more round. His black hair was cut short, yet it was still slightly messy. His hazel eyes were gorgeous, his thick eyelashes making them shine brighter than Tadashi's eyes. He smiled wide, revealing flawless teeth. He had his braces removed last year and the work showed. Aiko didn't see Tadashi in Hiro. She saw a perfect prince. Not even the lasting burnt scars all over his face could taint that perfection.

The ceremony was a success. Vows were spoken and rings were exchanged. Then they were allowed to kiss. But before they did, Hiro untied Aiko's hair, releasing her long blonde flowing locks. "Now you look like a princess," he whispered before he kissed her with the same passion she felt every time they kissed.

This was not the end for Hiro and Aiko. This was only just the beginning...

**The End**


End file.
